Lobby shines hope on slum dwellers in wake of pandemic
By People Reporter, March 20, 2020Lilian Kaivilu @liliankaivilu
Patrick Oduor joins fellow Kibera residents in a queue to wash hands at Kamukunji grounds amid heightened awareness on the need for general hygiene to keep coronavirus at bay.
The queue leads to a makeshift hand washing point that was set up early Wednesday to address hygiene and sanitation needs in the informal settlement.
The handwashing station comprises a 200-litre drum of water that is fitted with a tap and a wooden stand. On the sides are two half-litre bottles of liquid soap.
“Since morning when this facility was set up here, I have used it at least five times. I often come back here to wash my hands after interaction with people around here,” says Oduor.
The father of three says the hand washing station is an answered prayer to him and other informal settlements dwellers, who cannot afford soap or running water.
In his house, he says, there is no running water and as a result he cannot achieve the required hygiene standards.
“Whenever I have to wash my hands, my wife has to help me with water from a jug or a basin. We rarely use soap in our house,” he said.
Pose risk
Oduor represents many urban informal settlements dwellers who cannot access running water.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), every year, about 827 000 people in low-and-middle-income countries die due to inadequate water, sanitation, and hygiene representing 60 per cent of total diarrheal deaths. About 432,000 of these deaths are linked to poor sanitation.
And with the current threat of corona virus, people living in informal settlements are left with limited options regarding their hygiene.
The high populations and consequent congestion in the slums pose a risk to the health of the millions of the urban dwellers.
However, to avert any new infections, Shining Hope for Communities (Shofco), a local non-governmental organisation in informal settlements, has installed 15 community hand washing stations in Kibera and five in Mathare slums.
While WHO believes improved sanitation could prevent the deaths of 297,000 children aged under five each year, proper hygiene through hand washing is now a necessary practice that can help tackle the challenge of Covid-19 virus that has so far seen seven people in Kenya test positive.
Johnstone Mutua, water and sanitation officer at Shofco, says many informal settlements lack basic hand washing facilities, a situation he believes can be a catalyst for the spread of corona virus if not addressed on time.
Constant reminder
“Kibera and other informal settlements lack basic hygiene facilities such as proper toilets and hand washing facilities. Quality of water here is also wanting,” said Mutua.
In view of this, and with the announcement of the first coronavirus case in the country last Friday, Mutua says the organisation felt compelled to step in by setting up free handwashing stations in the area.
Besides hand washing at the stations, Shofco staff are teach locals basic hygiene practices such as how to wash hands and the need to keep the recommended social distance to avoid the spread of the virus.
Mutua says the organisation has installed the hand washing stations in Kamukunji, 42 area, Darajani, DC area and Bypass area, among others.
Irene Akoth, a business woman in Gatwekera area in Kibera, says the community handwashing station helps her wash her hands several times a day hence lowering the risk of contracting coronavirus.
To her, the hand washing station is a constant reminder that there is a coronavirus outbreak and that she needs to wash her hands regularly.